Choosing a copier: what to look for?

Where does the name "copier" come from?

Xerox or Zirox is the first company that began producing copiers back in the second half of the 20th century. At first, the company was a monopolist in this area, so the brand name became a household name. Nowadays, “copiers” are devices that combine the functions of a printer, scanner and copier. Multifunctional devices are capable of printing even color images, provided that this function was originally included in them by the manufacturer.

Purpose and principle of operation of the copier

The purpose of the copier is long-term offline copying of various volumes, without the need to use a connection to a personal computer or laptop. Copiers are often used for printing brochures, small editions of books, and advertising leaflets. Copying can reach production scales.

The operating principle of a copier can be divided into three stages.

1. The original sample is placed on glass.
2. After which it is closed with a lid on which there is a bright lamp (most often halogen), designed to create uniform illumination.
3. The formation of an optical image on the photodrum occurs due to the reflection of light from the main document passing through a special system of mirrors. During this process, negative and positive charges appear on the surface of this part.

1. When an image is transferred, toner particles are attached to the drum and then imprinted on the paper.

Important! In order for the copier to work smoothly, it is necessary to carry out its maintenance in a timely manner, then the equipment will last a long time and a number of problems will not arise. In addition, for the copier to function properly, it is necessary to monitor the cartridges and check the ink level for the necessary refilling.

Instructions with drivers for the copier are included with the equipment when purchased from a specialized store. If necessary, they can be reinstalled without problems.

How to choose an MFP for home use

The rating of photocopiers for the home allows you to determine which models are the most functional, high-quality and best-selling. But he does not take into account the needs of the future owner. And when choosing an MFP, you need to focus on them too:

• To print text documents, a black and white printer with a minimum of functions and simple controls is sufficient.
• If you need to give access to several users from different PCs, be sure to ensure that there is a function to connect to the router.
• To print drawings and design projects, you need a device with good color rendering quality.
• If you plan to print and process photographs, be sure to take an MFP that provides good display quality not only on regular paper, but also on photo paper.

The best brands of photocopiers are Xerox, HP and Canon. These companies specialize in the production of MFPs and provide a large selection of models.

Key Features of Copiers

When choosing a copier, you should decide on its main purpose. If you are choosing a copier for the office, then a medium-sized model, which is offered in abundance by manufacturers, is ideal. If a copier is needed for home use, then a multifunctional device (MFP) is suitable, which is much smaller in weight and size, but ideally performs its functions.

When choosing a copier, you need to pay attention to the following indicators:

This is a key characteristic and you should pay attention to it immediately. There are various formats of paper sheets: A5 (notebook sheet), A4 (landscape sheet), A3, A2, A1, etc. When choosing a copier model, you need to compare the requirements for the device and its capabilities:

• any copier that supports A4 format is suitable for working with ordinary office documents;
• But to print large (or small) paper samples, such as small postcards or large graphics and drawings, you should choose a device that supports the required paper size.

1. Photodrum capacity.

The longer the drum resource, the higher the quality of the copier. A value of 60 thousand pages is an indicator of an excellent device that will serve its owner for a long time and with high quality.

1. Resolution ( dpi) .

Another important characteristic of copiers is resolution. The higher this indicator, the better and clearer the result will look:

Resolution does not change the color of the image, but it directly affects the transition between colors and makes the image softer, smoothing out irregularities and removing grain:

600 dpi is ideal for printing office documents, and 1,200 dpi is ideal for more demanding owners who want to get excellent copies.

In order to obtain photographic quality results, it is worth focusing on 1,440 dpi and higher, but the cost of such devices will be high.

1. Speed ​​of work.

The vast majority of copiers operate within 20 pages per minute. This is completely enough even for the highest requirements. More budget models can print 5-10 ppm, which is good for people who use the copier rarely rather than often.

1. Colored and black and white.

This indicator does not affect print quality, but why overpay for color copies if you only need monochrome ones? Moreover, b/w copiers have a simpler design, which means they will also break less often.

Types of modern copiers

In 1959, office technology entered a new era. This was due to the release of the Xerox 914 - the first automatic machine that reproduced copies on plain paper. These devices became a real revolution and gave rise to the birth of many of their similarities, which, although they performed the same functions, bore little resemblance to the copier itself.

What is a special photocopying machine?

A narrow-profile device for duplicating existing documents is called a copier. The equipment is used, as a rule, in office establishments. This device comes in two types.

1. With movable glass for surgery. Here the glass moves along the lamp, which illuminates the source. In this case, the glass may extend beyond the device itself.
2. If the model has a fixed glass, then only the lamp moves. In this case, the device can even scale the transferred image

The device works on this principle. After pressing the button, automatic adjustments occur with the same format as the original. 90 seconds after stopping copying, the machine automatically returns to the settings that were before it was turned on (heated). 15 minutes after copying stops, the machine usually goes into energy saving mode. It returns to the ready state after pressing again after 30 seconds.

Let's look at the stages of working on a photocopier.

1. After switching on, the device warms up for at least 20 seconds.
2. After this, you need to lift the cover at the top of the device and place the original on the glass (markings are used for correctness).
3. Blank sheets are placed in the tray.
4. You can click on the print button. If you need to make several copies, there is also a corresponding option on the keyboard for this. Their number should not exceed one hundred pieces.

Advice! Sometimes it is possible to obtain copies that are too light (or, conversely, dark). To eliminate this drawback, it is enough to use the Dark/light key scales.

Additional features with MFP

Copying documents and photographs is possible not only on a specialized copier device. A special type of equipment also has such capabilities - multifunctional devices (scanner- copier -printer in one housing). They come in laser and inkjet, just like printers.

On different models you can get from 1 to 20 copies over a certain period of time. The procedure is extremely simple and does not differ from that on a separate copier. It is enough to load paper into the tray, place the source on the scanning glass and press the button responsible for the copier function, and the process will start on its own. To increase the number of copies, just click on the “plus” button located on the same panel.

The main requirement for performing such an operation is to under no circumstances open the cover of the device during operation. Violation of this rule may lead to distorted results.

It happens that the photocopying part of the MFP does not work. But even in the event of such a breakdown of the 3-in-1 device, you can still make photocopies using the remaining scanner and printer. To make the process faster, you can use the KseroLite program. It works as follows.

1. After launching KseroLite, you need to click on the “Select scanner” command. Next, all that remains is to note the source of the image.
2. Then select the printer that will print (it should be set to use the “default”).
3. In the color settings, “shades of gray” are selected, and the quality is set to the average value.
4. All you have to do is go to the document photocopying tab and select the number of copies. Then you can start photocopying the document.

Thus, it is not at all difficult to solve the problem associated with photocopies of documents on an MFP. Using such a device, you can carry out the process at home.

Portable options

Modern technical thought has reached the advent of portable copying devices. They are also called copiers, although in fact they belong to scanning machines. For example, the Xerox Travel Scanner 100 portable scanner indicates that it belongs to the “scanner” series already in the name.

What makes these models different?

1. Really compact size and weight (often no more than 300 grams). In appearance, it often resembles a candy bar, ranging from chocolate to sausage.
2. There are two types: in the first case, the device must be rolled over the document (this requires a certain steadiness of the hand), in the second, the sheet passes through the machine.
3. Works when connected to a laptop (via USB port).
4. The paper picking mechanism works clearly, but you still have to hold the sheet

Typically, such a copier scanner operates by default at a resolution of 150*600 dpi, and the entire sheet rolling takes up to 15 seconds . This is enough to get fairly high-quality color rendition. In this case, the conversion occurs in common formats - from JPEG to PDF.

Portable copier Xerox Travel Scanner 100

As for the thickness of the accepted sheets, the device also works with thin cardboard. However, there is a certain limitation on the maximum thickness - it should not exceed two millimeters. So, when scanning a passport, certain problems may arise, but business cards will go through without any problems.

The following programs are suitable for operating a portable copier: One Touch and Paper Port. Both guarantee excellent quality of the resulting documents and images.

Such a device should be purchased by those who really need to scan a lot and often while traveling. For example, people on a business trip who have to work with a lot of documentation. However, for this you must have a laptop.

Copying equipment for starting a business

A photocopier can be a great tool for a business startup. Here we do not mean office equipment, but a free-standing and autonomously operating photocopying unit. Its name is a vending copier.

Unlike its analogue, where the photocopying point also requires an additional employee, this type of device has the following advantages:

• 24/7 work;
• no need to hire staff (and no salary costs);
• smaller occupied volume of working space .

The technique works on the following principle: after paying a certain fee (we are talking about an automatic photocopier with a bill acceptor), the client independently sets the parameters and receives the required number of copies. Even a user who is far from information technology can do this - all explanatory information and an algorithm of actions are displayed on the display.

Many models of similar equipment allow for double-sided printing, printing from media and recording onto it. There are also those who will give out change without any problems. Of course, depending on the manufacturer, the equipment will differ in both size and additional options.

One of the most necessary functions is the presence of a built-in GSM module, which will allow you to remotely control the following:

• out of paper (change or toner);
• sending a report at a certain frequency;
• carrying out operations (from loading paper to collection);
• device operation error.

Most often, all information will come in the form of SMS messages. The owner will only have to monitor the amount of loaded paper and the presence of toner in the cartridge. Maintenance of the device should be carried out at the selected time.

In order for the device to pay for itself, you need to choose the right place to install it. The most successful solution would be an educational institution, social and tax services. At the same time, you should not be afraid of damage to property - each such device is equipped with anti-vandal protection.

Recommendations for working on any copier

In order for any of the listed devices to function without problems, it is enough to follow simple operating rules. Prohibited use:

• paper with pores (paper shavings are formed, which reduces the sensitivity of the drum);
• crumpled paper (or even just with crumpled edges);
• hard paper;
• the device as a whole if there are pieces of paper left in it after cleaning.

Source: https://tehnika.expert/cifrovaya/prochaya-cifrovaya/vidy-kseroksov.html